


metamorphosis

by sylveonplath



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Diana isn't very good at feelings, F/F, Fluff, One Shot, Romance, but it's ok because she tries, more like mutual awkward gay feelings but yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 10:59:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13480095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylveonplath/pseuds/sylveonplath
Summary: Diana was supposed to scold Akko, but she ends up helping her with a transformation spell instead. In the process, her feelings towards Akko might change just a little bit as well.





	metamorphosis

“ _Metamorphie Faciesse!_ ”

No matter how many times or how loudly Akko yelled it, no matter which vowels she extended or which syllables she stressed, the words never took effect and she remained in an entirely human form she had grown to resent. Sometimes, the very tip of her wand would produce a bright green spark, only for it to fizzle out so quickly and soundlessly that Akko could never be sure if it had ever really been there in the first place.

Akko let herself crash onto the lawn, her wand falling out of her hand and thudding onto the ground next to her. From where she was sitting, skirt disheveled and legs sprawled out in front of her, Akko took in the miles of immaculately kept Luna Nova grounds lying before her. The moon—Akko silently cursed herself for not being able to tell whether it was a waxing or waning gibbous and swore to pay more attention in Magic Astronomy—and the glow being emitted from the Sorcerer's Stone kept in the New Moon Tower made faintly visible the shapes of several of the campus' more distant, off-limits buildings. It was an ideal night to spend outside, with the school's standard tunic being more than enough to keep one comfortably warm from the slight chill of the autumn air, but Akko was the only student, staff member, or magical creature in sight. A group of older girls had been lingering a bit further off when Akko had stepped out of the dormitories, but they had eventually dissipated as the hours had went on and the morning's classes had drawn nearer. Fortunately, Akko wasn't planning on staying awake during double Magic Linguistics.

She wondered if the lights had gone out in her dorm room by now. Even if they had, she doubted the activity had completely died down. She could perfectly imagine Lotte and Sucy just the way she had left them—Lotte poring over the newest volume of _Night Fall_ and Sucy working on some potion Akko was content with not knowing the ingredients or purpose of.

“You sure you want to go out, Akko?” Lotte had asked, not looking up from a hardcover so thick she had to keep it resting on her lap while she read, but with a hint of concern in her voice nonetheless.

“I've got to,” Akko had said resolutely as she pulled on a pair of pilled knee-high socks. “Professor Ursula said she'd give me a lesson in animal transformation magic tomorrow morning, before classes start. I want to practice.”

“What's the point if she's just going to give you the lesson anyway?”

At Sucy's dry question, Lotte's eyes had darted from the page in front of her to Sucy and Akko, then back to the page again. “Well, I think it might be a good idea to get some practice. Just be careful and don't overwork yourself.”

“Suit yourself,” was all Sucy had had to say to conclude the matter, but Akko had already thrown her boots on and was out the door, leaving a sighing Lotte to get up and close it after her.

Akko laid back on the grass and lifted an arm out above her, towards the sky. She scowled up at her hand and stretched out her fingers. The scuffed nails (the result of a particularly unpleasant potion Lukić had had them make that day), the slender dips in between her fingers—there _had_ to be a way to shrink them into the clawed, grubby paw of a mouse. She scrutinized it further, turning it over and bending its fingers as if seeing it for the first time, before—with seemingly random resolve—propping herself up on her elbows, grabbing her wand, and jumping to her feet again.

Clasping it with both hands, she spread her feet apart and thrust her wand forward. She shut her eyes and, with a decisive swing—

“ _Metamorphie Faciesse!_ ”

Her eyes flew open. They were met by an unlit wand and the familiar sleeves of her uniform.

Akko groaned. A small, rational part of Akko knew that doing so would accomplish nothing—but Akko was, for better or for worse, well-known for never having been one to listen to that part of her, and she began to wave her wand around aimlessly anyway, accompanying her clumsy motions with equally haphazard shouts. “ _Metamorphie Faciesse, Metamorphie Faciesse, Metamorphie Fa—_ ”

“ _Atsuko Kagari!_ ”

Akko swiveled round to see a green-haired figure standing stiffly by the entrance to the dormitories. “ _Diana?_ What are _you_ doing here?”

Diana crossed her arms neatly over her chest. Her unwavering glare pierced into Akko and, as much as Akko hated to admit it, made it impossible to maintain eye contact without feeling a twinge of guilt. “I think that question is better suited to _you_. I'm here on behalf of all the dormitories on this side of the campus. What, pray tell, makes you think it would be alright to go about causing this kind of commotion at this hour?”

_Pray tell!_ It was all Akko could do to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She instead pursed her lips in indignation, a gesture that was meant to come across as intimidating but that unfortunately lost most of its edge around Diana. “I'm _practicing_. Professor Ursula said I could. You can go ask her if you want.”

“I'm sure even she would object to this level of noise.” Diana strode over to Akko until they were standing face-to-face with barely a meter separating them. “What about animal transformation magic is so urgent to warrant this, anyway?”

“I have a lesson with Professor Ursula in the morning. I wanted to try it out before then.”

“Well, you should save it for the lesson, then, seeing as you aren't having much success with it right now.”

“I am so!”

“Then show me. And keep it _down_ , please.”

Akko blinked at Diana dumbfoundedly. Was Diana Cavendish, descendant of an ancient line of prestigious witches and star pupil of Luna Nova Academy (as everyone loved to remind Akko), really expecting Akko to proudly display her incompetence in front of her? Looking at Diana's patiently waiting face, there didn't seem to be a way to back out of it. She took her usual stance, if a bit slowly, and, hoping for the best—she worked better under pressure, after all—

“ _Metamorphie Faciesse!_ ”

Nothing.

“As expected.” Akko winced at the sound of Diana's curt words and braced herself for further reprimand, half-expecting to hear Hannah and Barbara's jeering voices joining in. She was surprised when Diana's voice shifted into a softer tone instead. “I don't think you're putting your best effort into this, Atsuko. Have you tried putting yourself in the mindset of the animal you want to transform into?”

“Huh?”

“When performing the Animal Transformation Spell, one needs more than just a mental image of their desired animal,” Diana calmly explained. “You need to be able to attune yourself to how the animal would think and act, too. I'm serious,” she added briskly when Akko snickered. “Either take this seriously or give up on the spell altogether.”

“Well, alright. And how am I supposed to make myself think like a mouse?” Just the thought of making squeaking noises while waving her wand about was enough to make her want to snicker again, but she knew better than to repeat that error.

Diana ignored the childish impatience in Akko's voice. “A mouse? A fairly decent choice for a beginner. Think about it. What does a mouse represent to you?”

“Err...”

“Timidity, agility, an acute sense for survival,” Diana suggested, a lot less exasperatedly than Akko would have expected. “Channeling those traits should help you cast the spell easier.”

Akko couldn't believe that she was taking advice from Diana, much less that Diana was willingly giving it to her. It was something she normally would have scoffed at the very idea of before concluding that even if it ever _were_ to happen, she would refuse the offer immediately. But in that moment, she closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and concentrated on making her thoughts as mouse-y as possible—timidity, agility, whatever “an acute sense for survival” entailed. No squeaking.

She swung her wand. “ _Metamorphie Faciesse!_ ”

Akko's heart jumped at the sight of a green flash that completely enveloped her, blocking Diana and the rest of her surroundings out of her view. A brief rush of air cooled the tips of her ears, and then, with a final glimmer, the light flickered out. When she could see again, everything was a lot bigger—and blurrier—than it had been before.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she realized how shallow her breathing was, how rapidly her heart thudded against her chest, how her pulse engulfed her entire body. But none of it mattered because when she looked down in front of her she saw furry limbs that ended in pale pink paws, and if she turned her head she could see the coil of a fleshy tail, and if she pricked her ears (which, to her delight, could be swiveled about and pointed every which way) she could hear every rustle of the grass.

She skittered about, kicking up flecks of dirt behind her and letting them get caught between her toes. Just as she began to relish in the realization of what this newfound ability now made her capable of—maybe she could finally sneak food out from the pantry without getting caught!—another streak of green lit up before her beady eyes and she found herself, against her own will, back in what now seemed like a regrettably lanky human body, wand in limp hand.

“You still had bangs and a ponytail when you transformed,” Diana said. “But I can't deny it was something of a start.”

Akko looked down at her clothes breathlessly, only just barely registering what Diana had said. It had been brief—and, if Diana was to be believed, not entirely successful—but the euphoria of having finally cast the spell she had seen other witches perform so many times, seen _Chariot_ perform so many times, completely overrode that. But it had only happened with the help of a certain witch. “Um, well... thanks, Diana,” she finally stammered out. Amanda was _definitely_ never going to be hearing about this. Still, one question lingered. “But why are you helping me, anyway? I thought you hated my guts.”

“I don't hate you, Atsuko.” Diana's reply was as cool and straightforward as ever, with no hint of any part of it being forced. “I don't approve of your rash tendencies, but your determination for magic can be admirable nevertheless, even when misdirected. I hope,” she said, and here she sounded almost gentle, “I hope that you can come to better your habits and improve your skills as a witch.” She paused before concluding her thoughts. “Either way, I consider it part of my duty to help students in need, even if said students are causing a ruckus outside of the dorm rooms past midnight.”

It was probably her drowsiness as well as her usual inclination for blurting out her thoughts completely unprocessed that led Akko to stringing together her next few sentences, pausing and spluttering here and there as she struggled to make sense with the words that came to her. “You know, Diana, I know this might sound really weird coming from me, but you're really not too bad. Really. You have to act all fancy and Cavendish-y sometimes, and so you can end up seeming kinda mean. But I think you do actually care. And that's nice. I mean it.”

Diana sighed, but her expression was relaxed. “I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. But I now suggest you either quiet down or make your way back to your room. Otherwise, I'm sure Professor Finnelan will be coming downstairs instead of me to talk to you.” She faltered. Then, slowly and with an air of caution, she reached out to lightly touch Akko's shoulder. “Take care. Goodnight, Akko.” Her fingertips brushed against Akko's hood as she drew back her hand and wordlessly walked back towards the school.

Akko stared after her even after Diana had slipped inside the building, taking care to gently shut the heavy wooden doors of the dormitory behind her.

She hadn't called her “Atsuko.”  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed some fluffy Dianakkos! This is my first time using AO3 (and also my first time posting a fic anywhere) so please forgive any weirdness with the tags and such lol


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